


Sunrise

by polandspringz



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Amnesty Lodge, Early Mornings, Fluff, Gen, The Adventure Zone Amnesty - Freeform, written as if griffin is talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 10:35:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15047003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/polandspringz/pseuds/polandspringz
Summary: When the sun rises on Amnesty Lodge, it is then that the warm and welcoming nature the town of Kepler, West Virginia is known for begins to awaken.





	Sunrise

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this while listening to the Amnesty Lodge Sunrise ost, so that is pretty much a given for the title.  
> I couldn't get it to link properly, so here's the url: https://soundcloud.com/griffinmcelroy/amnesty-lodge-sunrise
> 
> I also tried to convey Griffin's voice while writing, so if it comes off as awkward, sorry! I just cannot imagine hearing the characters interact in any other point of view.

When the sun rises on Amnesty Lodge, it is then that the warm and welcoming nature the town of Kepler, West Virginia is known for begins to awaken. Aubrey, you felt it once before, when you first stepped into the threshold of the large, log cabin. Sure, the people all over Kepler were good folks, that was just the way West Virginians are. But, stepping into the Amnesty Lodge brought on a new feeling altogether- one you had long forgotten, Aubrey. Whether it was from the soft shushing and crunching noise the worn doormat made beneath your boots when you walked in that first evening you arrived, or the way the white noon-time sun had a tendency to light up the garden up to the lodge’s oak exterior in such a heavenly light, you were never quite sure. 

Duck and Ned, you could feel it too. Although you spent far less time there than Aubrey, having your own jobs and establishments to run, you too noticed it each time you made it through the clearing of the woods and were met with the sight of the lodge atop the hill, smoke from the chimney puffing out into the misty blue morning sky. Duck, you often would hike the trails from the Monongahela Forest and, whether intentional or not, your feet would lead you there. Ned, you too, some mornings, early, before the Cryptonomica opened, you would take your Lincoln Continental Mk. III out to go get some coffee for Kirby- after some grumbling between you two over who should and who was doing more for business- and you would find yourself at the foot of the hill too. Sometimes, as you found yourself staring up at that same sky, Duck would come crawling out of the forest, ducking from beneath some brush and branches that jutted out over the path. You would shut your door as he stepped forward to meet you, both of you, never taking your eyes off that sky as the sun began to rise.

Eventually, the birds would start chirping, and Ned- you would look over to see Duck giving you a bit of a knowing glare behind his glasses.

“Did you drive through that trail again, Ned?”

“Oh, nonsense, Duck! I was just out to get some coffee for Kirby and when I made a wrong turn is all! Surely you know how confusing these woods are?” Ned, you would chuckle, and Duck, you would frown and leer at this grifter a bit more, narrowing your eyes behind your glasses.

“So, I will take that as a yes?”

“Uh, well…” Ned, you both knew there was no hiding those tire tracks that had carved up that dirt in the path Duck had taken last week when he was led here, but still, you gave a hearty chuckle and ignored the glare of your friend, your eyes closing as you laughed, missing the way Duck himself hid a smile before turning back to look up at the center of all this warmth. All this…

_ Familiarity. _

Aubrey, waking up  _ inside  _ the Amnesty Lodge is another layer altogether. As the comforting light seeped into your windows and past your curtains, you may have given a small grumble, your face scrunching up as you try to sink yourself deeper into the plush mattress and sheets provided for you, but, ultimately, you’ll sit up rather dramatically. You will hear the thumping of Dr. Harris Bonkers on the floor and you will know it’s breakfast time, so you’ll throw the fleece comforter off your body, both of your hands’ fingers interlocking as you crack your knuckles and yawn, a small flame igniting around the rings you wear on your right hand as the fluid in your joints pop. Dr. Harris Bonkers makes another noise, and you’ll open one eye and squint down at where he sleeps, in the corner next to the window, and see his white form bathed in that light too. You give him a smile and a sleepy “morning” as you swing your feet over the edge of the bed, touching down on what should be a chilly, hardwood floor, but instead, as you pad around the room, dressed in dark gray joggers and a sports bra, you are full of this unexplainable heat. You tried explaining it to Dani about two weeks after you started staying here, and she had laughed and blamed your fire powers, to which you had pouted a bit, but eventually, she too had sighed and smiled.

“I know what you mean.” She said, when the two of you were sitting at that small, round tea table in the lobby, Dr. Harris Bonkers on your lap, her looking to the fireplace with her cheek resting on balled up fist. Moments like these, they filled you with a different warmth, a different comfort in your chest, but inside Amnesty Lodge, they all were connected somehow.

You finish preparing Dr. Harris Bonker’s food and scrape it into a bowl- you had begun using the bathroom sink countertop as your cooking station, mixing up his pellets and add some maple leaves you had taken from the forest. Duck had let you borrow a book about the plants in the area, and you had been using your hikes with Dani as a way of discovering some new eats for your doctorate companion. You kneel down in the corner by your dresser, placing the bowl down delicately between the two walls. Hungry for his meal, your white, fluffy friend begins to hop towards you, but before he can eat, you scoop him up for a quick snuggle before setting him down again. Standing up straight, you pull long sleeved red and black striped shirt out of the pile that’s spilling out of the dresser in this room, and slip it over your form before grabbing ahold of your signature denim vest. Leaving Mr. Harris Bonkers to roam free around the room, you quickly lace up your boots, exit, and lock the door. Mama will complain when he poops everywhere and will make you clean it up, but you don’t mind. He was in a cage long enough before you rescued him, no need to put him in a new one. Besides, you were still working on getting him his own suite, but Mama hadn’t budged yet.

As you made your way down one of the upstairs halls of the guest wing, you could hear noise coming from the lobby. Each of these doors, the warmth in them was fading, the doors having already been opened and closed for the day, and as you press one hand against the wall, you found yourself sending some heat against the door frames you touch as you pass, not enough to ignite a flame, but enough to put the odd stirring in your chest at ease. The coldest doors are the ones where the residents are still sleeping. You add extra heat to those. You pass by Dani’s door, a small smile as you stop to examine it. You can tell she is already downstairs with the others. Still, you spread your palm over the door’s wooden surface, and skip away after you feel the familiar heat leave your palm.

As you approach the end of the hall and come to the top of the stairs just before the mezzanine, the sound of laughter vibrates across the floorboards and up into your being, replacing any warmth you may have lost. You let out another yawn, a loud one this time, and your hand barely moves fast enough to cover it as you take your first step towards the first floor. At the new sound, all the heads turn towards you, something that on your first morning had frightened you, but you learned rather quickly it was due to the strong hearing of sylphs that made them react so quickly. You dropped your hand to the side and toyed with the hem of your shirt, your other one coming to rest on the railing as your eyes fell on one of the glass tea tables, seeing your friends seated and smiling up at you as Barclay served them some cups of tea. He glances up at you as well, and puts a fourth one in front of the empty chair, gesturing for you before walking back towards the bar.

“The Lady Flame has  _ arrived! _ ” Jake Coolice declares proudly, making some sort of symbol of his head with his hands as she flashes you one of his trademark grins. He is in his obnoxiously bright blue varsity jacket with purple sleeves, but his baseball cap is resting in his lap, and his green sunglasses sit folded up neatly on the table. As he thrashes about during your entrance, you can see Dani cast you a weak smile as she tries to usher him back into his chair calmly, reaching over to stop his hat from flying onto the floor. You walk towards them, greeting them with a quiet “hello” and a small wave as you pull out your chair and sit down next to Mama, who is sipping her tea, her eyes closed, seemingly unbothered by the rattling of the table as Jake “oohs” and “aahs” about the legend of The Lady Flame. Dani pushes down on his shoulder, eventually getting him to still when Jake’s knee flies up into the table, spilling his tea all over his thigh.

“Hot!” Jake yelps, and before you can think, you're standing, circling your finger around as you draw the heat out of the liquid and into the air before it can scald. Barclay saw the accident, and rushed back out, as did a few other sylphs sitting nearby, but as they lean over Jake Coolice’s shoulder, they are met with the sight of the stain lightening as it evaporates, and left to sigh and ruffle Jake’s hair in response.

“Be more careful, man!”

“If it weren’t for Aubrey, you’d be in trouble, dude.”

“Honestly, Jake…” Barclay shakes his head, throwing the towel he had brought over his shoulder, “I’ll get you another cup.”

“Hey, watch the hair!” Jake says, swatting the hands away and flushing a light pink as he pouts and looks away, eyes shifting nervously as he tucks himself into the collar of his varsity, “Thanks, Aubrey…” He mutters out, and you sit down and wave him off, not wanting him to wallow in embarrassment any longer. Luckily, Mama’s voice draws your attention away.

“You are getting better at controlling it.” She says, finally opening her eyes as her cup gently clinks on the saucer decorated with small, magenta roses and lime green leaves. 

“Be grateful it didn’t break.” Dani reprimands Jake as she rights the cup up, to which the boy just slouches further down in his chair, tucking himself almost entirely into the wool of his varsity. 

“I suppose, but I still miss on my big moves though. Speaking of which, when we went over to meet the Enchanter, I-”

But your words get cut off by the sound of a bell chiming above the door, and everyone’s heads turn around quickly, a bit frightened, despite being concealed. The room visibly relaxes when only Duck Newton and Ned Chicane step in behind the closing door, both of them brushing off some foliage that got on their clothes.

“Those dang pear trees…” Duck says, plucking some smashed substance off his khaki ranger uniform.

“Ahahaha! I never thought I would see the day where you would go up against a  _ squirrel _ , Duck!” 

“Yeah, well. Laugh all you want, cause it certainly was funny seeing it throw those berries into your eyes.” Duck smirked momentarily when he caught sight of Ned’s displeased expression glancing down at him, but when you see him stand back up again, Aubrey, you see it fade as puts on his normal, straight laced expression. They both suddenly spot you, and give a wave.

“ _ Hel-lo!”  _ Ned erupts.

“Mornin’” Duck supplies.

You rush over to them, and excitedly begin showing them a new sleight of hand trick you mastered, this one mixing in a few embers from your fingernails to distract the watcher. You watch Ned’s head literally bounce back and forth as you snap your fingers again and again and again, switching between each hand as you move the card around a bit more. His mouth is agape, and you swell with pride as he congratulates you with a hearty round of laughter as you roll your hands up before his face and announce, “Is this your card?”. There is a childish and smug glint in your eye as you take in his reaction, and you lose yourself for a moment, Duck pulling him back as you accidentally make the flame a little to high, almost catching Ned’s beard in its heat. 

“Very nice, Aubrey.” Duck drawls out, arms folded behind his back now, “But still, be careful.”

“Yes.” Ned adds, “ _ Careeeeeful.  _ This beard took  _ qui-te  _ a long time to grow out, and I would be devastated if anything happened to it.”

“Sorry, Ned.”  You manage, but hear a small laugh behind you. The three of you glance, and to your surprise, catch Mama trying to hide her grin behind her cup again. 

“She is getting better, you know.” She says, “Might out do you two with that fancy sword and… well, I’m not too sure what you have to your name, Ned. That fursuit?”

“It is a wookie costume,  _ thank you,  _ and I have a revolver, I will have you know.”

“And honestly, I am not too keen on my ‘fancy sword’, as it were. I think Aubrey has already outdone Beacon a long time ago.”

“Heck yeah!” Jake suddenly shouts, revived again, “Aubrey’s the strongest member of the Pine Guard!” He punches a fist towards the sky, almost socking Barclay in the jaw.

“Okay, Jake-” Mama steps in, “Let’s not have another spill. I don’t want Aubrey wasting her energy on stopping you from burning yourself.”

“Yeah, Jake.” Dani adds, “Sit down.”

“No problem, Mama!” He whirls, plopping back down in his chair. He waits another moment before he puts one leg back up on it and points finger guns at Dani, “And Dani!”

“So, I know we weren’t really planning anything today, but I got a letter from ol’ Heathcliff last night, and it seems like we actually gathered some things early that he offered to enchant. You good to go?” Duck asks.

“Hell yeah!”

“Really? Right now?” Ned, you groan a little and shift on your feet, remembering that chasm you had to peer over as you waited for Heathcliff, “I was running out to get coffee. If I don’t get back to Kirby soon then he might-”

“Oh, coffee! Tea! Shoot!” Aubrey, you smack yourself in the forehead for a moment, kind of like the typical “doh!” line from the Simpsons, and then you rush back to the table, circling around to stand behind your seat between Mama and Jake, and you gingerly pick up your cup. The ceramic has gone cold now, it appears when you sucked the heat out of the spill, you sucked it out of the liquids in the whole area. You looked around sheepishly, seeing people sitting around their half full drinks, still drinking from them and talking amongst themselves, seemingly unbothered. 

And- your eyes fall to Mama as she sets her cup down on the saucer again, a soft clink again before some rustling as her arms move to fold, and you hear that gentle rubbing noise as the sleeves of her leather duster move against one another. She bows her head a bit, eyes closed, resting. She breathes in and out for a moment, before another knowing smile graces her lips. 

“Now- you go on ahead now Aubrey. You don’t wanna keep your friends waiting, do ya?”

“But, the tea? Why didn’t you tell me?” And, Aubrey, you check on Dani and Jake, who are already engaged in another conversation, Dani trying to keep Jake relatively still as they lean over a video game he must have pulled from his pocket. Jake’s cup was the only fresh one, so it was still hot, but Dani’s had no steam, and the dark liquid in it was motionless and flat. You could feel the cold emanating off of it, and it made you shiver a little.

“Tell you what? You didn’t harm nobody, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“But… you said I was getting better…”

“That you are. Now, don’t worry about your tea, we can always make another cup later when you return. And,” She pauses as Barclay comes over, taking the cup out of your hands before setting it down on the table. He replaces it with a brown bagged lunch and puts a hand on your shoulder.

“You can always warm them up again later.” He says, and squeezes your shoulder for a moment. And, Aubrey, seeing this, feeling this, you are filled once again with that unmistakable sense you got when you woke up this morning. It is nostalgic and cozy, and you feel your fire affinity resonate with it, your skin getting hot as you bubble and buzz in this atmosphere. At Barclay and Mama’s words, you smile, and you throw your arms around Barclay to thank him before you scamper off towards your friends.

Duck and Ned, you see this display, and as you stand a few feet away, you feel this warmth too, it rolls up you as if hot water filling a pot, slowly climbing higher until it swelled in your chests. As Aubrey skips over to meet you, the sunlight beams in from the high window above the door, illuminating the three of you in the orange glow as the light bounces off the amber walls. The three of you- you don’t say much as you leave through the doors, the bell chiming once more to signal your departure, but Aubrey, you give a big wave to everyone as you step out, calling after them to  _ take care of Dr. Harris Bonkers! He worked hard for that Phd! _

Outside, the air is cooler. It is early morning in Kepler, West Virginia, and the season is sometime between summer and fall, transitioning gradually, each morning beginning to feel colder than the others. You can faintly see your breath in the air, and Aubrey, you are grateful to your sleepy self this morning for not bothering to change out of your sweatpants. Ned takes your lunch bag under his arm as you move to rub your hands together, a small flame balling up between them. Duck, you watch the sky again, seeing that cornflower blue beginning to seep in and move past the overcast from last night. The three of you step across the wooden plank that goes over a very narrow rivulet of runoff from the mountains, cutting the dirt and leaving a ditch a few inches wide. You walk through the garden and down the hill, Aubrey tiptoeing around a party of ants on a mission and Ned watching out for the worms that wiggled themselves atop the dewy soil of the morning. 

As you reach the bottom of the hill, the three of you turn to look back, up at the Amnesty Lodge, which now is an ochre against the blue setting behind it, the sun shining down on it and catching the yellows in the wood’s rings and swirls. 

“So, coffee?” Ned asks, taking his keys out of his pocket, unlocking the doors.

“Only if you go on the proper road and not the trail this time,” Duck adds, climbing into the backseat.

“I call shotgun!” Aubrey, you yell and practically dive into the car, Ned having held the door open for you before he tossed your lunch in after you.

“Don’t mess up the seats! I just got it cleaned after last week’s hunt!”

“You did offer to drive that abomination to the cliffs, so, I don’t know why you’re so angry about it.” 

“Yeah, Duck’s right! We told you we could have just used Barclay to lure it.”

“As if that was ever going to be agreed upon.” Ned, you grumble, but get in and start up the car, while Aubrey, you jump forward and- almost giddy- begin to toy with the dials on the radio. Duck, you lean back against the leather seat, breathing in the pine air as the car jerks to life, and then begins to move.

And, as you three depart, Ned turning away from the bike trail he drove down and making his way back towards town on the  _ proper  _ roadway, you feel the Amnesty Lodge in your minds, the center of the forest’s warmth saying goodbye to you as it begins to pulsate more and more, the radius of warmth following you as drive off. 

When the sun rises on Amnesty Lodge, everyone, in Kepler, West Virginia, feels home. 


End file.
